Welcome to my strange alternative world of wargaming with toy soldiers: a game for boys from twelve years of age to one hundred and fifty and for that more intelligent sort of girl who likes boys' games and books (HG Wells, Little wars)

Saturday, 9 March 2013

Zombie Comparison: Mantic vs Citadel

The Photo shows two Mantic 'Kings of war' zombies in white and two Citadel 'Warhammer' zombies in grey.

The vertical scale is identical (28-30mm) and use 20mm square bases so regiments from the two manufacturers can easily be used on the same table.

However there are differences:

(i) The Mantic figures are truescale so a figure is proportioned roughly accurately with only some perspective exaggeration of heads and hands while the GW figures are grossly exaggerated. For example, look at the left hand on the Citadel model holding the scythe. It is grossly disproportional to the point of parody. The Mantic stuff are better sculpts.

(ii) The Citadel zombie set has more variation in the choice of weapons and poses. The Citadel models offer more choice.

(iii) The Mantic range are cheaper, by about one third. The RRP for a box of 20 Citadel zombies is £20.50, while 30 Mantic Zombies can be had for £19.99: Citadel £1.03 per model, Mantic 67p per model. However, Mantic offer a wide range of army deals that considerably change the balance. Typically £45 buys a set of 110 Undead infantry models of various types, 41p per model, less than half the price of the Citadel equivalents.

So Mantic are half to two thirds the price, of comparable quality, and fully compatible with Warhammer.

Although the Mantic ghouls seem on the sprue to have little variation, I found that the 'ball and socket' joint between waist and torso meant I could have as much positional variation as I liked- the horde of 40 really does look like an undisciplined swarm!

Mantic zombie clothing and items are less fantasy-specific. The warhammer ones can only ever be one kind of dead dude; medieval peasants. The mantic zombie rags are less defined, so more believable in a modern game. And when I'm painting 40 models I want them to do as many jobs as possible.